Winchester M70 Featherweight

Don’t get me wrong, I like how your vision of the FW turned out and again glad my thread inspired ya.

My VG2 in 300Wby sits at roughly the same weight as your FW so not something I’m unfamiliar with, just surprised by it’s weight, then again I’m spoiled a bit by my 700 Mtn which is about a #1lb less.

Something we used to see on here quite frequently a few yrs ago but not much anymore is/was members off-season builds, load development then actual field/success photos. Kind of a on-going thread thing…

Hope to see your progress into the season and how you end up making out with it in field and hopefully success photos!
 
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Demonical said:
There was quite a lot of contact between the barrel and the foreend, on the factory walnut.
I bought this Bell & Carlson from Prophet River and just swapped the action into the fiberglas today.
There is a modest 4ozs difference between the wood and the fiberglas.
More important, the barrel is now free floated, without having to frig around.
It's NOT glass bedded at this time, but that might happen.
It'll depend entirely on how I do trying to develope handloads for this rifle.
Click to expand...
How do you like the feel, handling, comfort of the B&C?
 
Very nice, and I have a couple of other B&C stocked rifles that I've hunted with and all of them just feel really solid.
I have the scope set too far forward, I found the eye relief wasn't quite right, so I'm going to adjust the scope position.
 
Demonical said:
Very nice, and I have a couple of other B&C stocked rifles that I've hunted with and all of them just feel really solid.
I have the scope set too far forward, I found the eye relief wasn't quite right, so I'm going to adjust the scope position.
Click to expand...
I’m in love with the factory stock, and torn between “saving” it by putting on a B&C, or just using it, lol!
 
^ When I removed the factory walnut I was surprised to see that it was factory glass bedded. And at the foreend there's a very distinct mark in the wood, where the barrel contact was. It makes me wonder if that was intentional or did the wooden stock warp?
I meant to video tape that but screwed up the video camera, so failed to record that.
I don't regret preserving the walnut stock. Now I can treat this like what it was meant to be. A hunting rifle.
 
I had a new M70 in 300WM in 1988 that I removed the forend contact spot from the walnut stock. The accuracy got considerable worse, so I replaced it using some plastic shims and epoxy. The accuracy then returned, I guess some rifles prefer slight pressure on the barrel. WK
 
I took pics to show the factory glass bedding as well as the mark on the wood at the foreend, where there was pressure on the barrel.
Note that that mark is offset slightly to one side. I don't think there's a snow balls chance in hell that this rifle would have grouped well.
As prominent as that bedding is at the front recoil lug, I'm damn sure this barrel was supposed to be free-frloated. I've had other guys with these rifles tell that their Featherweights had fully free-floated barrels.

Then I had a concern with the B&C stock because the barrel was sitting offset in the barrel channel.

I pulled the action out and inspected the B&C and sure enough, I found a little chip of fiberglas material on the right side, which was shifting the barrel in the channel. I removed that chip of material and now the barrel centers as it ought to... and maybe that little chip didn't matter, but I want to believe it made a difference. :unsure:
 

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stovepipe699 said:
I’m in love with the factory stock, and torn between “saving” it by putting on a B&C, or just using it, lol!
Click to expand...
USE IT! USE IT! USE IT! I personally enjoy using the hell out of even my most beautiful tools and whatever.
Demonical said:
^ When I removed the factory walnut I was surprised to see that it was factory glass bedded. And at the foreend there's a very distinct mark in the wood, where the barrel contact was. It makes me wonder if that was intentional or did the wooden stock warp?
I meant to video tape that but screwed up the video camera, so failed to record that.
I don't regret preserving the walnut stock. Now I can treat this like what it was meant to be. A hunting rifle.
Click to expand...
Mine was glass bedded too, with the same pressure spot. I believe it's intentional on them, my 700Mtn Rifle had two obvious 'dots' raised to contact the bbl before the ebony cap.

My opinion only, is that bench testing them gets the bbl way hotter than you'd ever do hunting, and if getting 'hot' is part of the intended use, then free floating worked for me. But if the rifle puts them where I expect with my test method, I've left them alone, the M70FW included.

It's easy to get distracted in the fun playing with toys, looking for accuracy or a new load etc., and then assume the rifle isn't shooting. Depends what you want out of it.
 
Riddle me this: wtf is causing these light primer strikes?
It's a brand new rifle, could it be there's excess oil internally in the bolt?
Do I need to strip the bolt? I kinda think so?

But then does it shoot? 20250220_122547.jpg20250220_122721.jpg20250220_131055.jpgAfter initial adjustment, I fired 6 shots. 5 shots under an inch, with 1 flyer for a 6 shot group at about 1.5".

But somebody gimme some ideas on the light primer strikes!?
 
Huh :( Bummer! Would start with your idea of cleaning/degreasing the internals of the bolt. If that didn't do it, I'd be on the phone with warranty service.

Hope its an easy fix. Shouldn't have to do any more than that to get a brand new $1500+ gun going.

Seems to like the bedding and free floating of that B&C stock alright though, that's cool.
 
How deeply are those pimers seated? Dumb guess, but could winchester have released some ammo that a firing pin with protrusion on the shorter end of spec not hit hard enough?

Man....would be nice if it was just a gummed up firing pin/spring that needed a cleaning.
 
^ So get this... just got off the phone with the shop, where I bought this rifle. I'm not the only guy!
At least 2 other customers have called them with this exact issue, so I'm like customer complaint #3 or so.

I'm sending them pics and they are going to possibly help me out, warranty type deal.

But this is sure unexpected ground I'm on.
 
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So for the record that's 11 light primer strikes out of 25 cartridges.
The fellows there are excellent to deal with, I hope they can fix me up.
But I'm kinda doubtful about it being oil or anything internal.
One of the other guys with this problem is trying to source a new spring. Apparently heavily back-ordered...

Lol, I dug through de-capped primers hunting for the first 4 duds and managed to find this one. Of course it looks just like the other 7.

20250220_162052.jpg
 
Easiest bolt ever to strip! What you might find is everything is dry inside and the spring is kinda wavy looking on the firing pin. You’ll feel the friction when you remove it. One of my newer ones was like this and a small amount of synthetic grease on the spring cured it. Almost like the spring is too long.
 
^ Ok. I've never stripped a M70 bolt.

One on of my J-lock era Remington M700's I stripped the bolt and the spring was as you describe. I bought an after market firing pin and spring from Brownell's, which fixed it right up.
And btw, the M700 bolt is so easy to strip if the M70 is easier it must be something else.

See link to video on the stock, primers and sighting in session, if you're interested.

 
I'd certainly strip the bolt down and decrease the whole works for starters .
As Peevos stated, super simple bolt to dissasemble . The only one I know easier is a Musgrave because it only takes 1/4 turn to get the striker out!😁
Cat
 
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